Behind Closed Doors
by ToTheJourney2014
Summary: Artemis creates a new Dark Hunter for the first time in centuries; a Dark Hunter who brings to light more secrets than Acheron wants to know about.
1. Chapter 1

Samsara Parthens shifted around in the cardboard box she called home. She was nineteen years old with long blonde hair and eyes that were a deeper blue than the purest sapphire. She had been surviving on the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, for the past eight years. So far, she had managed to avoid any major conflicts with both the police and anyone else who had wanted to hurt her. She kept a low profile as often as she could and kept herself in the best physical shape possible.

"Look what we have here." A male's voice drifted through the cardboard. The man gave the side of the cardboard box a swift kick. "Come on out of there, girlie. You really don't want us to go in there after you." He smirked at the five other men who were with him.

Samsara tucked herself into a ball and rolled herself out of the box, coming out of the ball as she emerged and kicking the first guy she saw as hard as she could before jumping onto her feet. She kept her back toward the brick wall of the building she had been staying beside so that she could keep all six men in her line of sight. She fought as hard as she could, but the six men quickly overpowered her. As they beat and raped her, slowly killing her, her soul cried out for vengeance.

Artemis gasped, sitting up quickly on her chaise lounge in a movement fast enough to scare her koris. She ignored them as she stood up and disappeared, drawn to the human realm by a call she hadn't heard in centuries. She materialized in an alley in time to see six human males disappearing around the far corner. Dropping to her knees, she reached out and rolled the body of the one who had called to her over. Tears choked her as she realized who it was. "Oh, no," she whispered. She gently touched the young woman behind her left ear, calling on her power to turn the human into a Dark Hunter, knowing she had no choice.

Acheron Parthenopaeus growled as he heard Artemis calling to him. He was sitting at an outdoor table that belonged to one of his Dark Hunter's, Talon, favorite cafes. His hand clenched into a tight fist around the paper cup of coffee, crushing it and spilling the hot liquid over his skin.

"What's wrong?" Talon asked.

Acheron shook his head as he stood up. "Can't explain now. I've got to go." He picked up the black backpack he always carried and walked away without another word. As soon as he was too far away for Talon to see, he slipped into an empty alley and disappeared. He reappeared a few seconds later beside Artemis. "What the hell have you done?" he demanded as he stared at her.

Artemis stared up at Acheron, tears falling down her cheeks. "I had to, Acheron. I didn't have any choice."

Acheron couldn't stop staring at the young woman. "She looks like Ryssa," he whispered. He gave himself a shake and growled, turning his attention back to Artemis. "Who the hell is she, Artie?" He reached out and took the young woman's hand as they waited for her to wake up.

Artemis sighed, not quite meeting Acheron's eyes. "Her name is Samsara Parthens." She nodded when she saw that Acheron recognized the Americanized version of his own last name. "Katya wasn't our first daughter," she explained. "We had another little girl, before you came into your powers. She was a demigoddess named Malika. I have kept an eye on her bloodline over the centuries, helping as I could."

Acheron growled in frustration. "You're telling me this young woman is our granddaughter?!"

"Several generations removed, but yes," Artemis responded. She grimaced as the Samsara began to stir. "You can handle it from here. I'm going to scat the daddle."

Acheron rolled his eyes, not bothering to correct Artemis before she disappeared. He sighed as he squeezed Samsara's hand. "Breathe easy, Samsara," he said, speaking in a soft voice to try not to scare her. "Everything's going to be okay. I know everything seems really strange to you right now. It will take some time to get used to things, but I'm here to help you adjust to your new life."

"New life?" Samsara questioned as she opened her eyes. She gasped in shock as she looked around, trying to take in all of the different and new sensations she was feeling at once. The light at the end of the alley seemed overly bright, and she winced as she squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away from it.

Acheron took off his own sunglasses and put them on Samsara's face. He materialized a new pair for himself and slipped them onto his own face. "That should help. Open your eyes slowly, and we'll get you sitting up to start with." He slipped one arm around her shoulders and helped her sit up, letting her stay in that position for a couple of minutes before pulling her to her feet. "Lean against the wall for a couple of minutes. I've got a spare set of clothes in my backpack you can wear for now until we can get you some new ones."

Samsara stared down at herself, only now realizing that she was completely naked. Her memories slowly began to return as she got dressed. "They killed me," she whispered. "I know they killed me." She stared at Acheron in shock. "Who the hell are you, and how am I alive?"

"I am Acheron Parthenopaeus, and you're not. Well, not in the traditional sense of the word." He sighed as he motioned for her to fall into step beside him, leading her out of the alley and into the crowd that was walking along Bourbon Street. "How familiar are you with Greek Mythology?"

Samsara shrugged her shoulders. "As well as anyone who isn't a major scholar of it, I suppose. I've always had a fascination with mythology of any kind, but Greek has held my attention more than any other."

Acheron nodded. "That probably has a lot to do with your heritage," he commented. "The goddess, Artemis, has a rule that if any human is killed in such a way that their soul cries out for vengeance she comes to them and turns them into something called a Dark Hunter. You'll be allowed your vengeance against those who hurt you, if you want it, but from now on you are to work for Artemis."

"What kind of work?" Samsara questioned. She frowned as she looked around. "Where are we going?"

"We'll get into the kind of work in a little while," Acheron responded. "Right now, I'm taking you to meet another Dark Hunter. We'll visit with him for a while until Nick shows his ugly face." He motioned toward Talon as they approached the outdoor area of the cafe. "Looks like I'll be sticking around longer than I thought," he said to Talon. He pulled a chair out for Samsara and then sat down himself. "Talon, meet our newest Dark Hunter. Her name is Samsara Parthens."

Talon's eyes widened at the last name, and he stared at Acheron. "We have a new Dark Hunter? Since when?"

"Since about half an hour ago," Acheron explained. "Don't ask." He looked over at Samsara as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Order anything you want." He nodded as Nick finally answered. "Get your Cajun ass over to Talon's favorite cafe. I've got a job for you."

Talon shook his head as he studied Samsara. "You're not turning the Cajun loose on her, are you, T-Rex?" He chuckled as the waiter came over and took Samsara's order, leaning back in his chair and ordering himself another four beignets with another chicory coffee.

"Who's the Cajun?" Samsara asked placing her order of a dozen oysters, a large spinach salad, half a dozen beignets, and a large cup of chicory coffee. She blushed when she saw Talon raise an eyebrow. "I haven't eaten in a while," she explained quietly.

"The Cajun is a smart-ass named Nick Gautier," Acheron answered. "He runs errands mostly for his boss, Kyrian, but for all of us as needed. And no." He glanced over at Talon. "I'm not about to leave the two of them alone together." He looked back at Samsara. "I need to talk to Talon alone for a few minutes. We'll be right back." He stood up and walked into the nearest alley, knowing Talon would be right behind him.

"What's the deal?" Talon demanded as soon as the two of them were alone. "Artemis hasn't created a new hunter in centuries. I thought you had convinced her not to." He leaned back against the wall of one of the buildings and propped one leg up.

Acheron sighed. "I can't talk about it, but I know she won't be creating any more after this one." He shook his head. "I need you to take charge of things here in the city for a while. You can stay in my apartment. I need to borrow your place so I can train her, just for a night or two until Nick finds her a place of her own." He growled in frustration. "I need someone to take her shopping. The girl was homeless. She doesn't own a damn thing. The bastards who killed her ripped up the only set of clothes she owned."

"That explains why she's wearing your clothes," Talon commented. He glanced back toward the cafe. "We better get back over there. The Cajun is here."


	2. Chapter 2

Nick put his most charming smile on his face as he saw the girl sitting at Talon's favorite table. She was wearing an outfit that was obviously too big on her, but it actually made her look adorable. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. He grabbed her hand in his as he took a seat on the chair closest to her. He kept his eyes locked onto hers as he leaned over to brush a light kiss across the back of her knuckles. "Ma cher," he spoke in a quiet voice. "What is a beautiful woman doing here all alone?"

Samsara growled, jerking her hand free of the man's grasp and punching him as hard as she could. She smirked in satisfaction as he fell off the chair and into a heap on the concrete floor of the outdoor eating area. "Keep your hands to yourself, pig!" she said with a snarl. She wrapped her arms around herself to try to hide her trembling, not wanting the man to see how badly she was shaken up by being touched.

Acheron and Talon came hurrying over, Talon dropping down to his knees beside Nick and helping him sit up. He shook his head as he studied his friend's face. "Looks like she broke your nose, Gautier." He smirked, helping Nick to his feet. "Maybe it'll improve your looks a little."

Acheron pulled his chair over next to the one Samsara was sitting on, reaching out slowly and taking both of her hands into his own. He studied her carefully as he spoke in a soft voice. "I asked Nick to come here," he explained. "Are you okay?"

"Is /she/ okay?" Nick questioned, his voice muffled and thick because of his broken nose. "She broke my nose!"

"You did try to make a pass at her," Talon stated, pointing out the obvious. He chuckled when Nick glared at him.

"She was acting on instinct," Acheron said. He looked over at Nick, keeping Samsara's hands in his own. "I called you here so you could meet her. I need you to find a house for her. Buy her some weapons, and anything else she's going to need. Her and I are going to spend a couple of days out in Talon's swamp so I can train her."

Nick groaned. "New Dark Hunter? Seriously?" He glanced toward the sky. "What the hell were you thinking, Artemis?" He shook his head as he looked back at the girl. "Can you fight at all?" he demanded.

"I broke your nose, didn't I?" Samsara retorted. She looked over at Acheron. "Why is everyone talking about fighting? Is that the work I'm supposed to be doing now for Artemis?" She picked up the last beignet on her plate and began to eat it as she studied the three men.

"Partially," Acheron responded. "The two of us are going to spend the next couple of nights out at Talon's place so you can train while Nick's finding you a place to live."

Samsara frowned, biting the inside of her lip. "I don't have any money. How the hell am I supposed to afford whatever house he finds for me?"

Acheron just stared at Samsara from behind the dark sunglasses he was wearing. "You have money now. It's one of the benefits of working for Artemis." He stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go."

Nick waited until Acheron and Samsara had disappeared before looking over at Talon. "Who the hell is that girl that she's already got Ash wrapped around her finger? I've never seen him so chatty before."

"Hell if I know," Talon responded. He frowned a little as he thought about things. "If she had black hair, I'd swear she was his little sister or daughter or something. Her face looks so much like his." He sighed and shook his head. "I must be imagining things."

"Well, it looks like I get to start house-shopping first thing in the morning," Nick commented. "Ash won't want to wait for long before getting the girl on her own." He frowned a little himself. "I wonder who he'll get to be her Squire? She's gonna need someone to show her what the hell to do and keep her from killing herself by trying to go out in the daytime."

"Ash will show her how to take care of herself," Talon stated confidently. He smirked when he spotted a group of tall blondes, downing the rest of his tea and throwing some cash on the table to cover the tab. "Gotta go." He grinned devilishly as he looked down at Nick. "Duty calls." He was laughing as he hurried after the group of Daimons, disappearing into the night shadows.

~C~

Samsara kept her eyes on the water as Acheron drove the boat through the swamp from the boat house to the shack that Talon called home. She eyes the crocodile on the front porch warily, shaking her head when Acheron moved to help her out of the boat. "Do you not see what's on the porch?" she questioned him, staring at the crocodile with wide eyes.

Acheron laughed. "That's Beth. The only time she attacks is if you threaten Talon... or me." He climbed up onto the porch and then pulled her up effortlessly beside him. "Besides, her bite won't re-kill you."

Samsara shook her head, not taking her eyes off of Beth as the two of them stepped inside the shack. "I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I died once, and you're talking about whether something can re-kill me or not." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She turned to look at him, reaching up to pull off the sunglasses he was wearing as she removed her own.

Acheron leaned back, preventing her from being able to get his sunglasses. "Don't," he stated. He took a couple of steps away from her and leaned back against Talon's desk. "There are few things that can kill you now that you're a Dark Hunter, but you need to be aware of them and see that you avoid them." He pointed toward the left side of her neck, behind her ear. "That new tattoo you have is what marks you as one of Artemis's Dark Hunters. If you get stabbed there, you die. If someone cuts off your head, you die." He glanced toward the windows. "If you go out in sunlight, you burn. Stay in it for too long, you die."

Samsara nodded. "You make being a Dark Hunter sound like being a vampire," she commented. She ran the tip of her tongue along her fangs without realizing she was doing it.

"In a way it is," Acheron replied. "You now have superior strength, extraordinary reflexes, and excellent night vision. Your other senses are enhanced as well." He motioned toward her mouth. "I see you're a fast learner when it comes to hiding your fangs. I've only caught glimpses of them since you woke up."

Samsara laughed. "I've had nineteen years or so of practice," she retorted. She rolled her eyes at the look that crosses his face. "I've had these fangs for as long as I can remember. I learned a long time ago to hide them or get teased." She glanced toward the windows herself. "And I don't mind not being able to go out in the sunlight. I've always been more of a night owl anyway." She looked back over at Acheron, stepping closer toward him. "Why won't you take off those sunglasses?" she asked him.

Acheron growled and stepped around her. "We need to get started on your training while we still have the night. You'll want to sleep as soon as the sun rises, and we'll be able to go shopping for a new wardrobe for you once the sun sets again." He growled again when she moved toward him, grabbing her wrist in a tight grip as she reached for his sunglasses again. "Don't."

Samsara ignored the tone in his voice as she closed the rest of the distance between them. "Stop trying to hide. I want to see your eyes, Acheron." She used her free hand to reach up and pull off the sunglasses, tossing them on top of the desk. She frowned and growled herself when she saw he had his eyes closed tight. She gently caressed the side of his face. "You have asked me to trust you, to let you teach me how to survive. I'm doing that. Can't you trust me enough to let me see what you look like without the sunglasses on?"

Acheron fought against the instinct to shove her away, shaking his head even as he craved more of her touch. It had been so long since he had felt a gentle touch from anyone. "No," he said, a snarl in his tone. "My eyes aren't natural. They're not human."

Samsara shook her head, moving even closer to him. She pulled her wrist free of his grip so that she could cup his face gently between the palms of her hands. "And being born with fangs is natural and human?" she questioned, her voice soft. "Open your eyes, Acheron. Let me see." She gently caressed the sides of his face. "I want to see you."

Acheron sighed and slowly opened his eyes.

Samsara smiled, not bothering to hide her fangs from him as she slowly ran her fingertips along his eyebrows and down his temples. "So beautiful," she murmured. Her smile brightened as her eyes searched his. "You shouldn't keep your eyes hidden, at least not with me. I love them, Acheron. They're incredible."

Acheron felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from him that he hadn't even been aware he was carrying. He found himself smiling back at her. "It freaks humans out so I have to keep the sunglasses on out in public." He sighed a little, kissing her on the forehead before he realized he was going to do it. "But I won't wear them when we're alone." He shook his head, pulling himself back to reality. "Now. It's time to train." He manifested two staffs, tossing one to her as he stepped back. "Defend yourself!"


End file.
